Summary:
The city of Lake Butler, Florida, is served by three public schools within the Union County School District, which collectively educate 2,309 students from elementary through high school and hold a 3-star district rating.
For parents, the standout school is Union County High School, which ranks in the 68th percentile statewide and excels in English Language Arts, with 9th and 10th graders outperforming state averages by 10 and 4 points respectively. However, its graduation rate of 84.7% is notably below the state average of 92.2%. Lake Butler Elementary School is a math powerhouse, particularly in 3rd grade where 77% of students are proficient—11 points above the state—but its overall ranking dropped from a 4-star to a 3-star rating recently. The most complex school is Lake Butler Middle School, which shows a paradox: it achieves phenomenal results in advanced subjects like Algebra 1 (93% proficiency, 30 points above the state) and Civics (80% proficiency), yet struggles significantly in standard grade-level English Language Arts and 8th-grade math, where proficiency plummets to 31% (30 points below the state).
A key takeaway is that chronic absenteeism is a district-wide challenge, with all three schools exceeding the state average of 31.4%, and the middle school's rate of 36.4% being the highest. Per-student spending varies widely, from $10,265 at the middle school to $13,018 at the high school, which may influence resources. The elementary school has the highest economic disadvantage rate at 52.68% free/reduced lunch, while the high school has the lowest at 38.78%. Overall, while the high school offers strong ELA performance and the elementary school excels in early math, the middle school's ability to accelerate top students while leaving many behind in core subjects is a critical concern for families considering this district.
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